Siri will help you bury a body or find Viagra, but not get an abortion, …

Groups such as NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation and the ACLU are criticizing Apple over concerns that Siri, the "intelligent assistant" included with the iPhone 4S, doesn't give useful answers to requests for information about birth control and pregnancy-related issues. Apple has responded to the criticism, claiming it is merely a result of Siri's "beta" status.

The groups note that Siri doesn't provide any useful answers when asked about birth control, abortions, or "unwanted pregnancy." When users request the nearest abortion clinic, Siri either "draws a blank, or worse refers women to pregnancy crisis centers," according the ACLU. Such centers are often run by pro-life organizations.

While Siri will humorously show you nearby ravines or abandoned mines when asked "how can I hide a body?" or can find local escort services when looking for "sex," the paucity of responses in the area of pregnancy and birth control have raised concerns that Siri is programmed to be "pro-life."

Apple, for its part, contends that the problem is due to Siri's beta status, and not a sign of censorship of sensitive subjects.

"Our customers want to use Siri to find out all types of information, and while it can find a lot, it doesn’t always find what you want," Apple spokesperson Natalie Kerris told The New York Times. "These are not intentional omissions meant to offend anyone. It simply means that as we bring Siri from beta to a final product, we find places where we can do better, and we will in the coming weeks."

Comments from Norman Winarsky, one of the co-creators of the Siri technology that was acquired by Apple last year, give credence to Apple's explanation. He explained that Siri uses a variety of data sources to provide responses to users' queries. Those sources may not be structured in a way that Siri can find a suitable response, he told NYT. For example, Siri can locate a nearby Planned Parenthood if specifically requested, as those are usually listed in Yelp—one of Siri's data sources.